Killaha Castle (in Ruins) — Killaha

On a low rise, in the grounds of Killaha House (Bary 1994, 152). A four-storey rectangular tower (15.08m E-W; 11.1m N-S) built of random-rubble limestone bonded by a gritty lime mortar. It stands to full height except for the NE corner which has collapsed. The spiral stairs, which gave access to the first, second and third floors was situated in the NE corner but only its basal courses now survive. Each floor was divided between a main chamber to the W and a subsidiary chamber to the E. All the internal floors were wooden with supporting stone corbels, except for the rounded vault which covers the guardroom. The tower is entered through a ground-floor doorway in the E wall. This has lost most of its surround though a yett-hole remains in the S jamb. The entrance lobby (4.49m E-W; 1.73m N-S) gives access to a guardroom to the S, and to the base of the stairwell and the main ground-floor chamber to the N. The lobby is defended by a double-cross gun loop in its W wall. The guardroom has a small window in its E wall and a gun loop in the NE corner. The main ground-floor chamber (8.07m E-W; 7.34m N-S) is lit by a single window in the W wall and two in the S wall. These have lintelled embrasures with splayed sides; similar widow opes occur throughout the tower. A large fireplace (L 2.8m; D 1.43m), with a stone-lined domed bread oven (diam. 0.8m) on its E side, occurs at the W end of the N wall. The main first-floor chamber is lit by a window in the S, N and W walls. The W window has a flat-headed light and the N window has an external hood-moulding over a missing light. A fireplace at the S end of the W wall has chamfered jambs. The main second-floor chamber has a window at the W end of the S wall, whose rectangular light has two mullions and is covered by a hood-moulding. There is a small window at the N end of the W wall, and another window at the W end of the N wall- at this level much of the N wall is missing. A narrow ope in the NW corner leads to a bartizan. All that survives of this bartizan is part of its sloping stone roof and a pair of tapering corbels on either side. There is a fireplace in the S wall with a cut-limestone surround; moulded jambs rise to rounded corbels which supported a lintel, now missing, though part of a moulded cornice survives- the corbels have panels with geometric designs. The main third-floor chamber has two surviving window opes at the W end of the N and S walls. A fireplace, with a similar limestone surround to that on the floor below, occurs in the wall. There is also an attic floor with a low gable on the W wall. It has a small fireplace to the N, and a narrow window to the S, of a central plain rectangular chimney stack. The wall survives to wall-walk level but none of the crenellations survive. A tall square chimney stack rises from the centre of the S wall. Due to the collapse of the NE corner only the S end of the subsidiary chambers survive. At first and third floor levels, but not on the second floor, a doorway connected to the main chamber. The second floor chamber has a short passage in its SE corner leading to a corner bartizan that is now missing. There was a 4th floor subsidiary chamber and its S wall survives rising higher than the rest of the S wall- this also has a small gable. The tower is late 16th/early 17th-century in character with its rectangular mullioned windows, absence of vaults and numerous fireplaces. It was a castle of the O'Donoghue of Glenflesk (Barrington 1976, 216). It is depicted on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map as a tall tower with a lower and wider extension on its side; there are now no evident remains of this extension. Compiled by: Elizabeth Byrne, Ursula Egan and Sheila Ronan, Archaeological Survey Unit, University College, Cork. Date of upload: 31 January 2011